Country profile

United Kingdom

Definition
In the UK there is no specific legal form for foundations required by law. However, they can be established in various forms, such as charitable trusts, companies limited by guarantee, or unincorporated associations, depending on the preferences of the founders and the intended structure of the organisation. The terms trust and foundation are used interchangeably to describe charities with private, independent and sustainable income that fulfil their charitable goals mainly by funding and supporting other organisations and individuals.

United Kingdom’s philanthropy profile

€128,985 million (2023)

Pool of assets

€14,115 million (2023)

Total expenditure

No data

Total employment

United Kingdom’s foundations

10,719 (2023)

foundations

The quantitative data for the UK was collected from the UKGrantmaking platform and excludes fundraising grantmakers and member/trade funded organisations. Grantmaking expenditure (where known) is €6,820 million.